Anderson says it can’t afford annual cleanup

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana city says it can’t afford to participate in an annual community cleanup event this spring because it spent so much clearing snow over the winter.

Anderson city workers have been helping with the Rev. J.T. Meniffee cleanup project since it was started in 1985.

But Mayor Kevin Smith’s administration says the city has typically spent about $15,000 in overtime for employees who operate machinery and equipment and $3,000 for the planning of the cleanup campaign.

A leader of Anderson’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission says the cleanup will be held in May as planned. The Rev. Wayne Redding tells The Herald Bulletin he’s unhappy with the city’s decision to drop out of a campaign aimed at instilling pride in the community.